The next day came with a roar. This morning, the first day of the month of Michel, I was abruptly awoken by the sounds of cheering from outside. My room had a small window that looked onto the back of the inn. Sticking my head out, I looked towards the main road to see a swath of bodies moving through, celebrating loudly, shouting incoherently.
With a yawn and a groan, I pulled my head back inside and closed the window. I was never told how it would be told to the people. I had heard that in the early hours of the morning, a town crier would give the news, but I always slept in. I made sure to cover my face with a scarf and pull my hood up before leaving my room.
As I left, I noticed that across the hall, Nigel was leaving his room at the same time, although he was fully armoured. It was the first time I had seen him in full armour since he bought it, since when we spar, we do blocks and non-contact rules, so armour was never needed.
"Gonna go outside and kill them for waking you too early?" I jested as I yawned. He let out a slight chuckle as he locked his room's door.
"I'm going sword shopping again, want to see how they feel in full armour."
"Again? Didn't you go yesterday?"
"That was window shopping. Today I'm going to buy one."
I nodded and turned, locking my door as he walked down the hallway and towards the stairs leading to the first floor. I followed him down only to catch a glimpse of him walking out of the front door. Hm, guess he's not hungry.
After eating my food, I left the inn, finding the celebration had only grown louder and larger with time. Goran was a menace, I knew that, but I didn't think his death would warrant a celebration of this scale.
As I started to walk towards the town hall where Corvis had his office, I tried to drown out the incoherent shouting around me. Most of it was simple cheering and yelling, though a few words stuck out among the noise, something about "It's over" and "Finally", simple phrases like that being yelled by people I happened to walk past. I simply kept my hood up and my head low as I squeezed through the sea of bodies.
As I reached the town hall, the density of the crowd had only grown larger; it was as if every single citizen of the city had come to congregate on this one main road. I managed to push through the crowd and get into the building, where it felt as if I could finally breathe.
Corvis was standing by the receptionist, talking about something. They stopped once they saw me enter the room, and Corvis approached. "We've got a problem"
We sat across from each other in his office as the receptionist poured a cup of tea for each of us, leaving the teapot on the table before leaving.
"No doubt you're aware of what's happening."
"I knew Goran was a public menace, but I didn't think it would get this kind of response from the public."
Crovis gagged on his tea, spilling some, quickly putting his cup down and wiping his face. "Oh fuck, you haven't heard. I've not even gone public with Goran's death yet."
"You what..? Then…"
"It's over… the war is over."
"Fuck." I hunched forward, clutching my head in my hands. That meant real law and order was on its way here, and I wouldn't be safe no matter what I did. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Wait, the border! It was closed because of the war, right? Surely I can flee north?"
Corvis shook his head. "No, they're keeping it closed for now, only allowing certain people through. They fear all the criminals of the Black Lands will try to cross the border; obviously, that's something they don't want."
"Shit! What about the smuggling path? There's a way through the desert, right?"
"Of course, but the sand fist gang disbanded after they split, and one of the old leaders was killed. They're the only ones that know the way, and with the war over, that route holds no value."
"Shit… how did this even happen?"
He shrugged. "Heard something about the Metonyms offering a peace treaty. Their entire wartime philosophy changed overnight. It makes no sense to me either."
"So what do I do? How do I get out of this?"
Corvis reached down and opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a cigar. He took his time preparing it, lighting it and taking a long inhale before speaking.
"We both know what's coming, civil war. You pissed off the church, but your actual crimes don't match your bounty in price. So, if you kill Robert, cause the Black Hand to scatter to the wind before the army arrives, the government might be a bit more forgiving. The church doesn't hold as much political power in the South as you might think."
"So, you want me to kill Robert? How? Maybe before I could have gotten close to him, but now?"
"It should actually be easier now."
"Easier? How?"
"You're as desperate and dangerous as he is. The idea of working together will get his interest. You get in close, kill him and get the fuck out. You do that, and I'll ensure you're under my protection. Is that something you can handle?"
I thought about it for a bit. It seemed like a good idea, especially if it's Henri who comes to take charge here, then it's even more likely I could be spared. I remember Henri is a sceptic when it comes to faith as well, but I can't rely on that alone. If I do something that stops a civil war, though, that should be enough to prove I'm on their side.
"I can do it."
"Good. His base is in the Black Fort. No doubt over the next few weeks, he'll be gathering his power there to try to resist the coming war."
"Weeks? How long do I have? Till the army gets here?"
"A few months. They announced the peace treaty today, but that doesn't mean they've even started to recall troops yet. Then they'll need to restructure their army since the fighting force will drop in half, then moving an army on foot takes time, a long time. Best-case scenario, other places need their attention before us, and they get held up. If I were a betting man, I would say we have till the month of Laz before they arrive in force."
The month of Laz, that's three months from now. I haven't been in the Black Lands long, and with the news, there will be a mass exodus of criminals fleeing in fear of punishment. That gives me more time than I thought, but to kill Robert, the leader of the Black Hand? If I could really just walk in there like Corvis said, then surely I could do this right away.
"Alright," I said as I stood to my feet, turning to leave. "Off to kill Robert of the Black Hand, I guess. I expect you to pay his bounty to me in full when I get back."
I had a simple plan: get close to him, kill him, do whatever it took to get out alive and then come back here, cash in the bounty and buy a house to hide in. I needed money, enough to be able to live comfortably without stepping outside, and being a resident might make my claim of being reformed more believable.
I had to find Nigel and tell him what I planned to do. After all, we're a team. With a reluctant sigh, I left the building and once again fought my way through the sea of people celebrating. Now that I knew what it was, they were celebrating it all made sense. It was obvious what they were celebrating. An end to war, a return to order and of course, the return of family. What if things had gone differently on that boat? What if the church had never alerted to my presence? Would I be going home by now as a free man? It's kind of funny that things don't go the way you want.
I walked down the main road, entering any weapons store or blacksmith shop that was open, asking if they had seen a man with long blonde hair and one eye today. Almost all of them said they saw him yesterday, but not today. They all said he had come in and looked at the swords, asking questions about the material they were made from and checking the balance of the blade, and every one of them said the same thing: he asked where he could find something of higher quality and price.
As I was walking towards another smithy, the crowd on the roads were too much to push past. Though right on the edges, where the road meets the buildings, there was enough clearing to walk at a decent pace. As I shuffled past people who were walking the other way, I turned to my side and, by complete happenstance, I was looking directly into a cake shop, where Nigel was sitting at a table eating a slice of cake.
I stood at the window for a moment, watching as the slice of cake had a candle atop that was lit as he sat there staring down at it. He held his finger over the small fire, lowering it slowly until it made contact with the flame, pressing down on it and extinguishing it. The whole time, his face was expressionless. He picked the hot tip of the candle and pulled it out, placing it to the side as he started to eat the cake.
As I watched, my confusion quickly turned to understanding. Today was his birthday, his fifteenth birthday. The one birthday that should be celebrated no matter what, the one that marks you as a man. And there he was, sitting in a shop by himself with that sad look on his face.
As I entered the store, Nigel looked up, wiping his face quickly as if trying to hide his sorrow.
"What are you doing here?" He tried to play off casually as I approached and sat across from him.
"You didn't tell me today was your fifteenth."
"I didn't think you would care."
"Of course I would care."
He looked down and gave a pained smile that disappeared quickly. "Right, right of course. Sorry, it's just that I've never had a birthday celebration before."
"Ever? Even back home in that big castle?"
He shook his head. The corners of his lips quaked; I couldn't tell if he was about to cry or burst into a fit of rage. Clearly, whatever his life was like back home, before I met him, it's something he would rather not talk about.
"Hey, how about this? We go find the best sword in the whole damn city, spare no expense. That can be my present to you. How's that sound?"
He let out a tsk along with a wide smile as he shook his head, pushing the cake to the middle of the table. "Help me eat this, it's way sweeter than I thought."
I nodded and did as he asked without question. So he's never eaten cake before? With the family he came from, I would have figured that he would have so many experiences that outshine my own, but it seems like, in truth, we're not so different.